SHOTLIST:

DEIR HAFER, SYRIA (JAN. 17, 2026) (ANADOLU – ACCESS ALL)

1. AMBULANCES AND OTHER VEHICLES ENTERING BLACKED-OUT CONFLICT ZONE DEIR HAFER, SYRIA - JAN. 17: The Syrian army launched a military operation late Friday against the YPG/PKK terrorist organization in the Deir Hafer region, located west of the Euphrates River.

According to Anadolu correspondents on the ground, army units targeted terrorist positions along the Deir Hafer-Maskanah line with artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and heavy weaponry.

Clashes intensified as armored vehicles advanced toward the district entrance around 10 p.m. local time (1900GMT).

Following a brief lull at 11:10 p.m., large explosions were reported inside Deir Hafer as the terrorists returned fire.

In a written statement, the Syrian army confirmed the operation targets positions held by the PKK, YPG/SDG, and allied elements of the "toppled Bashar al-Assad regime."

The statement noted that these positions were being used to launch attacks, particularly with kamikaze drones, against civilian settlements in and around Aleppo.

The army on Jan. 13 declared areas west of the Euphrates under terrorist occupation, including Deir Hafir and Maskanah, as military zones.

To ensure the temporary and safe evacuation of civilians in Deir Hafir, the army opened a humanitarian corridor on the M15 highway on Thursday and Friday.

In a statement on Friday, the army published maps of terror hideouts to be targeted in Deir Hafir and urged civilians to stay away from the locations.